Karabakh Parliament to Elect New President on July 19

STEPANAKERT — Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Parliament is set to elect new President on July 19, according to a statement by the National Assembly President Ashot Ghulyan.

Two candidates are nominated for presidency. They are: MP Eduard Aghabekyan, who has been nominated by the Movement 88 faction of the NA; and incumbent President Bako Sahakyan, who was nominated by the Fatherland, ARF, and Democracy factions of the Artsakh parliament.The outcome is highly predictable, considering that three of the five parties represented in the National Assembly support incumbent President Bako Sahakyan.

The new President will hold office in the transition period until the new Constitution comes into force in 2020. On February 20, the NKR held a constitutional referendum, and 87 percent of the electorate voted for the proposed constitutional amendments.

Pursuant to these amendments, a transition will be made from a semi-presidential to a presidential system of government in Artsakh.